A lot of times when I talk to family and friends about the media from a feminist perspective, I’m met with eye rolls and the occasional “feminazi” accusation. They insist that it’s just a song, movie, commercial, etc., and I should just get over it. Well, this video by Miss Representation exemplifies exactly why we shouldn’t just get over it.

We interact with the media so often it is easy to believe in the world it presents. Even after viewing the before and after images or learning about the process it takes to transform a woman into her role, it is hard to shake the idea that end productis normal. The media is simply too pervasive for one revelation of its falsity to trump all the other images presented to us. The only way to create healthier ideas of normal is to establish better representation of women in the media.

So next time someone tells you to just let it go, let them know that “8 is the peak age for girls’ leadership ambitions;” 8 is the peak age for girls to believe in themselves enough to take charge, and maybe then they’ll understand why it is so important that we don’t let the media ruin our girls’ dreams one poorly written female character at a time.